T3 Security

[WolfUK]

I've decided that it is about time I secured some of the data on my Palm in case it gets lost or stolen so I'm after some suggestions and ideas for the best way to go about this.

Is the built-in security on a T3 any good (using the Palm Security 5.0p for Tungsten? T3 patch)? Is using the T3's own security tied in with these auto-switch on problems I've read about? Should I be looking for a third-party alternative? I used to use TealLock and had it in an old Palm's ROM so that even a hard reset would make the Palm unusable to a casual thief. Is JackFlash stable enough to copy applications into ROM (I'm not worried about removing extra languages, etc. first)?

Any help or advice would be must appreciated.

[AKAJohnDoe]

Do a quick search here for the keyword encryption and my username akajohndoe and a short list of pertinent threads will be displayed.

[WolfUK]

Thanks. I'll have a look at PDA Defense.

[AKAJohnDoe]

PDADefense and TealLock would be among my top choices for a separate security solution; however, I have discontinued using PDADefense and gone with the standard Palm security and encrypted backups via BackupBuddyVFS.

[WolfUK]

I did wonder what the third-party solutions offered over the built-in security and I think I can really narrow it down to a couple of areas that interest me:

1. SD card encryption since BackupMan doesn't, I think, offer encrypted backups.
2. The possibility of using JackFlash and TealLock to keep my Palm locked after a hard reset. Then again, offering a reward for more than a thief would be likely to get for a stolen Palm might be almost as effective for a lot less hassle.

[Mech_TT3]

Originally posted by AKAJohnDoe
PDADefense and TealLock would be among my top choices for a separate security solution; however, I have discontinued using PDADefense and gone with the standard Palm security and encrypted backups via BackupBuddyVFS.

Because 3rd party apps are lost if the unit is hard reset?

M

[Convert2]

Comments on encryption from the backup app CardBackup from FAQs :

9. Does CardBackup encrypt it's backups?
Short Answer: No

Why?

Security. That may sound strange at first but this is the reason. If CardBackup, or any backup software for that matter, were to encrypt your backup *and* provide for scheduled backups it would need to store your encryption password in the handheld memory so it could use it to encrypt the backup. This would cause a security risk because it would be stored in the handheld memory and could potentially be stolen by a person trying to read your data.

We do strongly suggest you encrypt important information on the handheld using third party applications like CryptoPad. This way the data is already encrypted when CardBackup stores it on the memory card.

[WolfUK]

I did wonder how encryped backups worked and I guess that storing the password or key on the Palm itself isn't ideal.

So my current plan is to carry on using SplashID for things like credit card details, website logins, etc. and use the Security 5.0p patch to encrypt other sensitive data such as my address book. I guess that my Palm will still be re-usable after a hard-reset but a healthy reward for my lost (or stolen) T3 might help.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments so far guys.

[Convert2]

Originally posted by WolfUK
I did wonder how encryped backups worked and I guess that storing the password or key on the Palm itself isn't ideal.

So my current plan is to carry on using SplashID for things like credit card details, website logins, etc. and use the Security 5.0p patch to encrypt other sensitive data such as my address book. I guess that my Palm will still be re-usable after a hard-reset but a healthy reward for my lost (or stolen) T3 might help.

Thanks for all of the suggestions and comments so far guys.

That's the exact approach that I use - and am quite happy with the SplashID / Security 5.0p combo.

[smiley88]

Originally posted by WolfUK
I did wonder what the third-party solutions offered over the built-in security and I think I can really narrow it down to a couple of areas that interest me:

1. SD card encryption since BackupMan doesn't, I think, offer encrypted backups.
2. The possibility of using JackFlash and TealLock to keep my Palm locked after a hard reset. Then again, offering a reward for more than a thief would be likely to get for a stolen Palm might be almost as effective for a lot less hassle.

You can try Xforcer for PamOS5.0. System lockdown and AES 256bits transparent encryption.

for card encryption you can use mEncryptor.

check them out at www.toysoft.ca